Spiritual Equals
by the-fairy-godmother
Summary: Why Tiger Claw? That was a question Donnie had been asking since the spirit quest last year. He hoped that meeting Alopex might have helped shed some light on the subject, but the answer was still oblivious to him. Just a little headcannon about why Donnie and Tiger Claw was be different, yet equal.
1. A Question

Hi everyone,

I love the new TMNT series, having been a fan since the '87 series. Yes, I'm just that old!

I also love the new characters introduced, as well as them finally making Donnie's feelings towards April an actual plot point.

Out of the new characters I really love Tiger Claw. I think he's an interesting character. Plus, anthro tigers are always so sexy, especially with that deep voice.

This is my little headcannon, that will introduce OC's that will feature in the sequels, there should be two.

This story takes place quite soon after the Tale of Tiger Claw in season four, and, though I liked the finale of that season, it didn't happen. The Shredder will have a role in all the stories, so I can't let him die yet.

This is a mature rating as it will deal with adult themes.

Enjoy

TFG

* * *

A Question

"So, did you ever figure it out?" came the curious voice of Michelangelo from atop the red, three-hundred-pound tool chest.

"Figure what out?" sighed Donatello, trying not to look at his younger brother, lounging upside-down, on his tool chest.

He was becoming increasing irritated with his brothers, as both Michelangelo and Raphael were supposed to be helping him fix the Shellraiser after the last encounter with the Foot. After all, it was there fault that the left flank now contained twenty-six holes, and one of the wheels was off its axis. And, so far, Raphael had decided to use the scrap metal Donatello had taken off as target practice while Mikey used his tool chest as a surf board.

Donnie knew he would be fixing their battle van himself even though both Master Splinter and Leonardo had demanded that Raphael and Michelangelo help. He couldn't help his irritated grumbling as he looked at his two helpers who were just doing everything they could to distract him, while asking for him to work faster. And, now Mikey was asking ridiculous questions which were coming out of nowhere.

"Did you figure out why you got Tiger Claw in the dream battle, spirit quest, thingy?" Mikey stated, looking his brainy brother straight in the face, though still upside down.

The question was enough to stop the other two ninjas in the room from what they were doing. Both looked towards Mikey, before Raphael dropped his throwing stars and began to walk over towards where Donnie was kneeling.

During their three-hour van ride back to New York City the four ninja brother had regaled each other with tales of their triumph over their spiritual adversaries. And each may have exaggerated just a little bit. They had all managed to guess who each other got, based on who they faced off against. Yet, they all drew a blank with Donnie's, and when he told them that he had faced Tiger Claw they all seemed a little shocked.

It wasn't as if Donnie was a terrible fighter. He was quick thinking and agile, carefully analysing every opportunity and weakness that presented itself. But, that was the point. Donnie thought using his head, while Tiger Claw fought with brute force and skill, as if he didn't need to think about his next move.

"I mean, there were meant to be our spiritual equals, something that was like what we are like, kinda, like?" Mikey continued, stumbling over his words. He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't have the vocabulary for it. Sometimes, he wished that he paid more attention when Donnie went off on his long-winded explanations of the English language. But, hopefully, they understand what he was trying to say.

"Yeah, I mean, I got Fishface cause of our anger. Mikey got Rahzar cause of their past dealings. And Leo got Shredder cause of their ultra-focused, honour code crap," Raphael elaborated on Mikey's ramblings. Obviously, the hot head had put some thought into this as well.

"You would think that you would have gotten Dorkster Boxcar," Mikey suggested causing Donnie to scoff and drop the welding torch he was working with in disgust.

"Yeah, that would have been wonderful, my greatest spiritual challenge, a bug-headed nerd!" Donnie yelled as he started to angrily clear away his tools, even though he hadn't finished the repairs to his baby.

"Well, maybe not Buzzkill, but how about Rat King? He was super smart and evil. Like you, but not like you, that was the point, right? Or how about Rockwell? Wasn't he like a genius before he became a demented, mind reading mutant? Even though now he's a good, mind reading mutant genius," Mikey suggested, gesturing towards Raphael to add his support.

"It was because 'I relied too much on my mind and not on my body', that's what Splinter told us. So, obviously that's why it was Tiger Claw. The guy is like a brick wall made of solid muscle and claws and teeth! Fighting him was like fighting a tank!" Donnie reasoned, looking exasperated towards his two brothers, who still didn't seem convinced.

"That explains the different, but not the same part. If it was only that, then why not Slash, or Spidebytz, or Snakeweed? Why Tiger Claw? I mean, what do you two have in common?" Raphael continued, not taking Donnie's evasion for an answer.

"I don't know! Okay! Is that a better answer? I've been trying to figure it out ever since that stupid spirit quest, and I've come up with bub-kiss!" Donnie yelled shrilly, as he was prone to do when he was frustrated that he couldn't come up with an answer.

"I mean, the guy is obviously smart, but not my level of intellect. And he's well trained and focused, despite not being a ninja. But, that's it. I can't find a single thing that we have in common," Donnie continued, sinking into his desk chair, his anger at not finding the answer abating slightly due to his cathartic ranting.

Both Mikey and Raphael looked at each other, trying and failing to have blank expressions. It would have been a better idea to have had this conversation between the two of them, rather than involving Donnie. He could be incredibly sensitive, especially when if you were implying weakness.

"Hey, bro, you know we don't mean anything by it, we were just… you know, curious," Raph said, trying to defuse his wound up tight brother.

"Yeah, yeah, if you two don't mind, I actually have work that I need to do, and I'd rather not have any distractions. Why don't you go and, just go," Donnie said, giving his brothers an opportunity to leave. And he hoped they would take it.

Luckily, both Mikey and Raph understood their brother's moods enough to know that it would be best to leave. They had been irritating him with their lack of help, constant presence in his workshop and now that had struck a nerve with their train of questioning.

"Okay, see you later, bro," Mikey said, a little saddened by their dismissal. He liked being in Donnie's lab, and liked being around him when he was working.

The two turtle mutants left the lab, leaving Donatello to continue his repairs to the Shellraiser and to finish whatever he was typing up on his computer. They, of course, didn't notice that Donatello was typing gibberish, just to appear busy and to get his brothers to leave his lab and to stop asking him questions that made his head hurt.

Once the door was closed, the young scientist couldn't help but let out a sigh while he slumped in his chair. It was a question that had been plaguing him for months.

Why Tiger Claw?

He had written up several charts, spreadsheets and Venn diagrams to try and get to the bottom of this little mystery. And everything had produced the same results. A blank conclusion.

This was something that Donnie hated with a burning passion. He knew that, as a scientist, that you could never have a one hundred percent success rate. And he had had a fair few failures and unplanned explosions in his life, but they were still a conclusion, even though they were a negative conclusion. This though, was nothing.

Donnie had hoped to shed some light on this particular problem since they had met Alopex, Tiger Claw's estranged and vengeful sister. The older mutant had left her contact details with them, in case they needed her. That was probably why Mikey had asked about the spirit quest after so many months.

He had called her a few times, asking questions about Tiger Claw's past, in the guise of trying to understand their enemy more. And though Alopex seemed willing to help, she was still rather guarded in her answers. Donnie didn't know if it was because she was ashamed of her past, ashamed of how she had acted recently, or if she still felt some familial duty to Tiger Claw. Either way, it was infuriating.

So far, all he had learned that Tiger Claw's real name was Takeshi. The older mutant hadn't finished grade school, but had used online schools to finish his education. He could speak both English and Japanese fluently, with a little Russian, Chinese and Spanish thrown in. And, he hated coconuts.

"Hey, D!" came the upbeat voice of the other infuriating distraction in his life.

"April! When did you get here?" Donnie replied joyously, jumping out of his chair and almost tripping over it. Yes, this girl was an infuriating distraction and another puzzle he desperately wanted to solve. But, at least this distraction was friendly and unlikely to try and kill him. Or, unlikely to try and kill him again.

"A little while ago. Long enough to see Raph and Mikey escaping. I take it they didn't really help with the Shellraiser. So, what you working on?" April asked, sitting down on his desk.

"Nothing much, just some… uh, problems that I can't seem to figure out," Donnie replied, a little shakily.

The teenage boy in him suddenly overrode his scientific brain. As the way that April was sitting on his desk, with her legs crossed at the thigh and leaning back slightly, was exactly how the fantasy that he played out in the shower began. And it ended with her, completely naked, spread out on the desk before him, while he did very dirty and delicious things to her.

"You sick or something, D? You looked flushed," April suddenly said, placing her hand on his forehead in an attempt to take his temperature.

"No, just, overworked. You, uh, wanna get started on that chemistry assignment? I've got everything you need set up," Donnie said, quickly trying to change subject to more neutral ground.

April lit up at the suggestion. She did love science, but since Donnie had been helping her and providing more materials for her to work with, her love of science had increased. A long with her grades.

The two worked together comfortably, until they were called to action by Leo.

"Hey, Donnie! Time for patrol!" suddenly came the voice of the oldest turtle brother, echoing into the lab.

"Be right out!" Donnie called back, closing down his latest spreadsheet of information. Whatever the answer was, he was definitely not figuring out either of his problems tonight.

* * *

He didn't wish to move.

There was absolutely nothing worth leaving his warm sanctuary for.

His mind and spirit, they were both telling him that the best place for him was to remain curled up on his futon. That whatever was being asked of him could wait until tomorrow, or next week. Maybe next month, if he was lucky.

Unfortunately, those who could have picked up the slack for him, were complete imbeciles. After all this time, Takeshi still couldn't fathom why they were still in the employment of the Foot. If he had his way he would have slit their throats and happily watch them all bleed out.

Though, if it wasn't for them, then he might have bled out instead.

It was that thought that made him look towards his missing limb.

Takeshi's right arm had been cleanly sliced off, just above the wrist. The wound had been cauterised and dressed when he was taken back to their hidden lair in the wilderness. Now, it was capped in a metal alloy, that had been taken from the Kraang. The horrid creatures that had turned him into what he was today.

Their resident scientist, the hideous creature that had once been known as Baxter Stockman, was crafting several prosthetics for him out of scavenged Kraang parts. Though, fixing his arm was not top of the priority list. Keeping their Master alive and then improving his condition was the priority of the mad scientist. So, he would have to live for a while with a missing arm.

"Another missing body part," Takeshi said dryly. So far, he was missing one tail, one eye, half an ear, and now, one hand. It was lucky for him that he was ambidextrous, or else the amputation would have been devastating.

That was two important limbs removed vengefully, by his own sister. His blood. The thought stabbed through his cold and angry heart. That his own flesh and blood could have done this to him. He still had sweet memories of all they had meant to each other. At one point, they were all the other had. It had taken a lot to push down those emotions and become almost clinical in his life. Yet, now his heart seemed to have thawed slightly and all those emotions were flooding out.

Takeshi looked past his missing limb to the far side of his opulent room. Which was a complete mess. The throw pillows that were once strategically placed had been thrown in a fit of rage, spilling the expensive goose down everywhere. The decorative, hand-painted, paper screen were shredded into pieces. And, his hand made weapons, that had been stolen and cobbled together when he was a mere boy, were strewn around the room. Abandoned without a care given to them.

Then there were the pictures and knickknacks that were usually out of the sight. Hidden in a wall safe, so that Takeshi didn't have to look at them every day. As they brought back painful memories. But today, The Day, he wanted to relive every painful memory. It was the one day a year when he allowed himself to feel the pain of betrayal and loss.

Only, this year it was much worse. Not only was he reliving some of his worst and best memories in a bittersweet cacophony, but he was also facing life without his right hand. And, though Stockman had produced wonders, he doubted what the bug man could do for his particular problem.

The large mutant let out a deep, depressive sigh, before turning over, attempting to sit up. The room span and the half empty bottle of expensive whiskey rolled away. He had overindulged last night, once he realised what the next day meant. Not that he hadn't been overindulging the last few weeks, as a very destructive way to deal with the loss of his hand.

He followed the path of the rolling bottle, as a way to focus his mind again, watching as it came to stop near some of his personal photos. It was one of those picture that caught his eye, forcing Takeshi to get up on very unsteady legs.

He let the light blankets slip off his bare, but light coloured furry chest and abdomen. This was the part of his body that contained the least, the thinnest and the lightest fur. He usually slept in little, as he could get too warm with such thick fur, so all he was wearing was the pair of boxer briefs that he had not bothered to remove last night. The other clothes had been torn from his body and he had thrown them into a heap by his futon, instead of neatly placing them into his laundry hamper. The only other item that he was wearing was a simple chain around his neck, holding a platinum ring that was large enough to fit one of his fingers.

He liked to take good care of his belongings, as a lot of them were either custom made or he had created them himself. He remembered having to watch as the Kraang took him through the basics of his ice and heat gun ammunition. They had started training him to be some kind of ground troop, as both his sister and himself had managed to survive the mutation process. They didn't seem to fear him, and were merely hoping to exploit him and his sister.

And, when they escaped and found safety in the circus, he remembered how his clothes and costumes had to be altered or custom made. Though almost everyone had been too afraid to come near him, so they had guessed his sizes. This meant that the clothes had not fit at all, and he had accidently flashed what was below his tail a few times, to his utter shame.

She was the one who had stepped up to him, at only seven years old and taken his measurements. It was the first time in a long time that anyone had willingly touched him. Her bright, icy blue eyes beckoning him into the railway car that served as the costume designers shop.

This was one of the first pictures that had been taken at the circus. He was only nine, and had been there for a year by the time She got a hold of the Ringmaster's camera. She had then demanded that Takeshi and his sister pose for the photo with her. It had taken her a good five minutes to pose the nine-year-old Takeshi and seven-year-old Ayako, She then spent another ten minutes trying to work the camera. Once she had figured out the timer, she ran up and jumped on his back. The resulting picture was three children, falling down onto the glitter covered ground, laughing. It was his favourite from their youth.

The mutant assassin dropped down, bottle back in hand, as he once again began to look through his collection of photographs. He wished he had the strength of will to put them away and be done with this mourning once and for all. But, he still gave in to the selfish indulgence. He needed to see his sister's smiling face and Her bright eyes, in a time that was simpler and happier.

Takeshi was so engrossed in his bottle and the pictures spread before him that he didn't notice the door being slid open. Or the metallic chime of robot legs hitting the floor. The fish mutant took in the sight before in complete shock. In the four years that he had known the great Tiger Claw, the deadliest assassin in all of Asia, he had never seen him in a state like this.

The tiger man was usually fastidious about his appearance. Even during training, he barely took off any of his clothing, and his fur was always in the best of condition. Today though, Xever could see that Tiger Claw's fur was matted in places, sticking up at the oddest angles. And, he was in a complete state of undress, with only a pair of underpants to hide his modesty. Plus, he was taking sizable gulps from a bottle of eighteen-year-old malt whiskey. Xever could see another bottle on the floor, though this one was empty. Then there were the plucked catnip plants, which they all knew the assassin indulged in occasionally.

Xever was about to announce his presence, fearing what the larger mutant's reaction would be to find him in his private quarters, when he caught sight of what Tiger Claw was looking at. There seemed to be photos spread out around where he sat on the floor.

He could see some of a younger Tiger Claw, looking jolly rather than serious. There were a few of another mutant. A fox by the looks of it, and obviously female, if the dresses were anything to go by. But, what caught Xever's eye was the pair of icy blue eyes that were staring up at him. They seemed to be something familiar about them, though he couldn't place it.

He bent down and picked one of the photos, that was a little off to the side of Tiger Claw. He couldn't resist letting out a chuckle as it seemed to show Tiger Claw in a state of inebriation, dancing, with what looked like a wild swirl of light chestnut hair.

"Well, what do we have here?" Xever said, amused by what he found, "Now, she looks like a wild cat, eh, amigo?"

What happened next happened too quickly for Xever to understand. As, the next moment, he was pinned against the wall, by the neck, by a metal capped forearm while a handful of claws dug into his neck and face.

Despite the dire situation that Xever now found himself in, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. It seemed the hardened killer, mutant cat did have a soft spot.

"Struck a nerve, did I?" Xever asked, feigning innocence. This was what made Xever good, finding weaknesses and exploiting them.

"Say one more thing and I will make sure that no one will ever find your body," Tiger Claw said, quietly and dangerously, not removing his claws from the pressure points on Xever.

"I didn't know that you had ever touched a woman," Xever said, cockily, looking Tiger Claw up and down. It was then that he noticed the large ring that was dangling from the chain around the larger mutants' neck.

"Tell me what you want and get out," Tiger Claw stated throwing Xever from the wall so that the fish mutant stumbled to the floor. He had seen that Xever had spotted the ring and he didn't want the thief pushing him on the topic.

"Mater Shredder wishes to see you," Xever said, calmly.

"I am unavailable. Now, leave!" Tiger Claw replied picking up his shirt and putting it on. He did not like to be in a state of undress around others. He also did not want the fishy thief to see the ring dangling from his neck. And, from the look his colleague was giving him, he knew that Xever was not going to leave without a fight.

"I don't think you understand, amigo. Master Shredder demands that you go to him, in whatever sorry state that you are in. And, I doubt you want to disappoint him. Even in his weakened state, he would cause great pain. Now, I suggest you get dressed, sober up and go Master Shredder," Xever said, picking himself off the floor and sauntering from the room.

Takeshi heaved a huge sigh of irritation. He wished he could take a shower, and freshen up some more, but when the Shredder demanded your presence you were expected to drop everything and grovel at his feet.

He really didn't want to deal with Shredder. The older man knew what this day was. He had come to Takeshi when his world had fallen apart and had seen what it had done to him. It was only through giving him a focus for his pain.

And it had helped, he could push those feelings of hurt and betrayal deep down, locking them away. It made him more ruthless, allowing him to fight harder and become stronger. He no longer had to look into those blue eyes, and feel guilt.

Yet, after a while, he began to feel trapped. Trapped in his hate and vengeance. And, with no good in his life all he had was his downward spiral, until all he had left was the Shredder and the Foot.

Once Takeshi had finished dressing, with very little care, he walked toward the Shredders rooms. He was the last one to enter, all the other lieutenants of the Foot were already present, standing around the Shredder's bed.

Normally, Tiger Claw would have kneeled before the Shredder, as the rest of his henchmen were doing. Today though, he barely inclined his head in a show of respect.

"You look terrible, Tiger Claw," the Shredder stated coldly once the tiger mutant had come closer.

It took more strength than Takeshi knew he had that day not to scoff at the statement. Since his last fight with Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles, the Shredder had been bedridden. It didn't help that he had taken an overdose of Stockman's mutagenic medicine, in hopes of increasing his strength. Which had had the opposite effect.

The Shredder had become weaker. His body unable to support the mutation. Most days he barely had the strength to lift his arms. So, the priority of the Foot and Baxter Stockman, was to stabilise their Master, maintain his hold on the city and find more mutagen for the mad scientist to work with. Which, was becoming increasingly difficult since the Kraang were no longer on Earth.

"I need you to go and retrieve more mutagen for Stockman," the Shredder said, looking towards his second in command, noting the state of his fur and clothes.

"Send Bradford and Xever," Tiger Claw stated, causing all eyes in the room to shift to his defiant form.

It was true that Tier Claw was the only one who ever contradicted the Shredder, but no one expected him to do so when the request was something that was needed to save their Master's life. But, Takeshi didn't care. All he wanted to do was to go back to his room and wallow in his memories.

"Leave us, now!" the Shredder commanded to the rest of the mutants and few remaining human foot ninjas.

The assembled mutants and humans got up, without saying a word to each other. Leaving just their bedridden Master, and his second in command staring each other down. Even once the door was closed neither alpha males moved.

"Do not tell me you have gotten yourself into the same sorry state as the one I found you in," the Shredder stated coldly. It was not a question and he required no answer. Everyone could smell the whiskey on Tiger Claw and saw that the mutant was still drunk.

As the question was not really a question, Takeshi did not answer, but merely looked towards the Shredder, defiantly. He was standing stock still, arms crossed, in front of the bed.

"You waste your energy mourning the loss of this woman," Shredder stated, just as coldly as before.

"Do you not mourn the loss of Tang Shen," Tiger Claw retorted.

"That is different," the Shredder said, eyes narrowing towards the younger man.

"Yes, she actually married me, while you just coveted another's wife," Tiger Claw spat back, in no mood to deal with anyone, let alone his employer.

If the Shredder had been able bodied then what Takeshi just said would have been the last sentence he would have uttered. Fortunately for him, Oruko Saki was in no condition to deal with insubordination. He had been relying on Tiger Claw for that.

"Do not use that tone with me, Tiger Claw! I could easily put you back in that booze infested hole that I found you in! Now, go!" the Shredder roared, causing those listening outside the door to stumble slightly.

It took every iota of will power that Takeshi possessed not to argue back. He merely swallowed his rage, bowed his head slightly and took his dismissal. The angry tiger man turned on his heel and stalked from the room. He threw the door open, knocking over several of his colleagues and stomped off down the corridor towards the garage.

"Bradford!" came the voice of Shredder from deep in the room, waking everyone up from their stupor.

"Yes, Master Shredder?" the skeletal, mutant wolf replied, kneeling deeply before his master's bed.

"Keep an eye on Tiger Claw, and report back to me on his behaviour, understand?" Shredder commanded.

"Yes, Master Shredder. Is there everything, uh, specific I should watch out for?" Rahzar asked, uncertainty lacing his voice.

"His loyalty is wavering. I must keep complete control over him. He is a powerful ally, but would be a dangerous enemy, if he were to turn on me," the Shredder replied.

"Yes, Master Shredder," Rahzar replied, bowing his head and standing up.

When all of his henchmen had left him alone, except for the ever-annoying buzzing presence of Stockman, Oruko Saki took stock of what he had. Yes, he had lost much, but he had lost much before. As long as he kept his control of those who are under his power, he can rebuild again.

Takeshi was already in the van when the other henchmen arrived. And, he was impatient to get going. Just as he was impatient to return to his room and his memories. He could almost block out the inane chatter of his subordinates as the journeyed towards the city.

* * *

"Ugh, why do we even need to be on Shredder patrol? The dude is half dead, bro, and now his mega hench-dude is armless. We ain't gonna find anything," Mikey complained, upside down again, on the ledge of the water tower.

They had split into two teams to comb the city, as they had done every night since the Shredder's disappearance. Leonardo had thought that was the best idea, as the Foot might, in their desperation, try to pick them off one by one. They had tried to do it before.

Leonardo was with Raphael and Michelangelo, while Donnie was with April and Casey. Whenever they had to split into teams it would always cause the young leader a headache. Having to make so many conflicting personalities work together was hard.

"Half dead is not fully dead, Mikey," Leo replied with a sigh. His younger brother had tried the same argument almost every night since they witnessed Tiger Claw's dismemberment.

"And, this is probably when they are at their most dangerous, 'cause they're desperate," Raphael added bluntly, his arms crossed over his plastron and his face neutral. He didn't take a genius to figure out that Shredder's hold was weakening on the city and would be desperately trying to claw back to power.

"Guys!" suddenly came Donnie's voice over their T-phone.

"What's up?" Leo asked, bringing the phone closer, so as to hear his brother more clearly.

"We have eyes on one fish and one pig mutant up on Bayfront Street," Donnie replied.

"There are more fish and pig mutant's in the city!" came Mikey's jubilant voice, thinking about the new friends that he could make.

"Uh, no, it's Fishface and Bebop," came the exasperated voice of Donatello over the phone.

"Scratch that, yo, I see Tiger Dude and Wolf Man too!" came Casey's voice as well.

"Hey man, they're called Tiger Claw and Rahzar! I spent ages coming up with those names, you should be using them!" Mikey said, pushing back into the conversation and causing Raphael to roll his eyes.

"One, you didn't name Tiger Claw. Two, you came up with Rahzar in under two seconds. And three, entirely not the point Mikey!" Donnie yelled over the phone.

"And is that really the point, D?" April's voice said. You could almost hear the roll of her eyes over the line.

"What, it's important to be accurate," Donnie said to April, but since the line was still open, everyone could hear what was being said.

"Guys, can we focus," Leo said, followed by a chorus of sorrys both over the phone line and in person, "Now, where exactly are you?"

"Near the meat packing place where we fought Tiger Claw and met Bishop. The morons are a few buildings down. We're keeping an eye on them, but I think they might have found another Kraang hideout," April said, she had obviously taken the phone from Donatello, annoyed by the argument.

"Yo man, you should totally see Tiger Claw, he looks like he just woke up from a three-day bender!" Casey said, amused.

"Seriously? Does he still only have one arm?" Mikey asked

"Did you think it would grow back?" asked Donnie incredulously.

"Enough! Keep eyes on, but don't engage. We'll be there as soon as we can," Leo said, hanging up the line.

"Um, I think that might be a little bit of a problem," April said, once the line had gone dead. She was looking just over Casey's shoulder, towards an empty ledge.

Donatello was just about to ask why, when he was suddenly hit by a laser, falling down hard on his left leg.

All three teens got into a defensive stance as Bebop suddenly materialised out of thin air. The high-tech thief had obviously been put on perimeter duty.

"Think you're gonna need your buddies sooner than that!" Bebop said, just as Rocksteady and Rahzar came over the ledge.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that, please rate and review as it makes me very happy.

Also, I teach, and today one of my students ate another student's homework. So, that happened.

TFG


	2. Agreement

Hi,

here is the second chapter, which has a little bit of a slightly naughty scene.

I sometimes think that my action writing isn't as good as it could be.

TFG

* * *

Agreement

To say that Shredder's top henchmen were surprised to see one of the Turtles and their human allies would be a complete lie.

They were expecting them.

They were always expecting them. Or, at least they had learned to always expect them. After so many humiliating defeats by mere children, only true fools would not learn to be cautious. That was why Tiger Claw had posted that loudmouthed idiot, Zeck, to scout out the rooftops. After himself and Bradford, the moron had the best sense of smell and could easily sniff out anyone who decided to ambush their scavenging mission.

For that was what they were on. A scavenging mission. Tiger Claw felt irked just at the thought of being deployed to do something so menial. This was why they had begun to recruit humans back into the Foot, so that he could avoid such tasks.

When Zeck raised the alarm, signalling that their perimeter had been breached, Tiger Claw immediately dispatched Steranko and Bradford to aid their comrade. While he requested Xever to remain with him.

"The purple banded turtle ninja, the red headed girl and the hockey playing boy are on the roof, watching us, Comrade Claw," came Steranko's voice over their communication system, which was sounding too loudly in Takeshi's sensitive ears.

"Do everything you can to stop them, before the others arrive, do not fail! Xever and I will take the supplies back to Shredder," Tiger Claw commanded, almost breaking the small device in the process. He had no patience to deal with any of the Turtles or their human allies. All he wanted to do was to get back and collapse onto his futon.

"And why do you not aid our friends in this fight, great Tiger Claw?" Xever asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to needle the older mutant anyway.

"Because, I have a headache, and want to get back as soon as possible. Bradford, Steranko and Zeck can handle one turtle and two normals on their own. If the other three show up, then I will aid them, but until then I do not wish to fight one handed. Now, get the last of the mutagen into the van while I place the explosives. We don't want the smart one to use any of the Kraang supplies to use against us, again," Tiger Claw replied, pulling out one of the explosive devices they would use to destroy the building. He had laced the explosives throughout the building, from the basement to the top floor. He was going to enjoy the random act of destruction.

"Did Master Shredder say that you could blow up the building? I was under the impression that he wanted all Kraang bases kept as is, in case we need to go back to them," Xever said as he began to load the van with their scavenged mutagen.

"Don't argue, just do what I say!" Tiger Claw roared, making the smaller mutant jump as he bared his fangs.

It was true, the Shredder had decreed that all Kraang strongholds were to be kept as is. But, there was something so satisfying about blowing up the Kraang. The filthy creatures that had turned his into a monster, who were long gone now. So, all that was left was to destroy what they had left behind. While, disobeying the Shredder was a new joy. At least, at the moment.

Recently, Takeshi had become disillusioned with the Foot. He missed Japan. He missed deciding which jobs he would take and which ones he wouldn't. He missed not answering to anyone. Except, for Her. But, he only had to answer to Her because of how much She cared for him. He missed Her eyes, and Her smile.

That was part of the reason why he was contemplating his life choices. There was no one who cared for him now. His own sister had dismembered him twice, his employer had given him up for dead at least once, and the love of his life has sworn to shoot him between the eyes if he ever came near her again.

With a heavy sigh, he planted more of the explosives, enjoying the mild satisfaction of planning to destroy something that was the Kraang's and disobeying the Shredder. Just when he was planting the final device his sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of a heavy vehicle.

"And, so it begins again," Tiger Claw said under his breath, annoyed that they could not get through a simple scavenging mission without adolescent ninja showing up to ruin it.

The rest of the Turtles had arrived, no doubt summoned by the purple wearing, smart one. He would have to join the fight that was raging on the rooftop. Even though he knew he would not be able to fight at his best.

"Xever, take these supplies back to the lair, I will aid Bradford, understand?" Tiger Claw said before he activated his jetpack, flying off to join the others on the roof.

"You don't command me as if you are my Master, oh great and honourable Tiger Claw," Xever said, leaving his position in the van and picking up the leftover explosives and the detonator.

As soon as Bebop appeared from out of nowhere, Donnie pressed the distress signal on his T-phone. It was a new feature that he had installed on all the T-phones. He was sick of having to trace locator signals whenever they got into trouble. Now, this will do that for him.

From what he had gathered, his brothers were at least ten minutes away. That was a long time to deal with several of the Shredder's top henchmen.

They could easily take Bebop themselves, but when the three saw Rocksteady and Rahzar climbing onto the roof, they knew they had their work cut out for them. Plus, Tiger Claw and Fishface were nearby, and could easily join the fray. And, even though Tiger Claw was down another limb, he was still highly trained and very deadly.

"Oh, sewer apples!" April said, as she took out her tessen and tanto. While, in unison, Donnie took out his bo staff, unsheathing the naginata blade and Casey took out his goalie stick.

The three friends took up a defensive position, waiting for the first move. They didn't have to wait long, as Rahzar leapt towards the defensive line, always eager for a fight.

The roof of the meat packing factory then became controlled chaos as the two sides did battle. There were slashes, grunts, screams and blood shed, from both sides.

Donatello was battling Rahzar, and while the turtles didn't use deadly force if it could be avoided, Rahzar had no such qualms about ending a life. The former human was slashing through the air, taking out several satellite dishes and other miscellaneous protrusions on the roof. It was only through Donnie's quick reflexes and defensive fighting that he could avoid the wolf mutant's long, bony talons.

He quickly glanced over at April, making sure that she could hold her own against Rocksteady. Luckily, she had enough control over her telekinesis that she could keep the heavy mutant off-balance, preventing him for attacking. While Casey was facing off against Bebop. Both males were loud and boisterous that they seemed to be easily matched.

And that was the problem. If they were easily matched then neither would win unless something else happened. And they needed to get off that building to find out what the Foot were up to, and where the Shredder was hiding.

That was when Donatello heard the tell-tale sound of a jetpack firing.

"Oh no," Donnie said, just as a large, clawed foot collided with upper plastron, sending him flying across two buildings. He hit the brick wall of the access shed, hard, causing several pieces of the mortar to crumble down on top of him. lying in a heap on the floor, Donnie was out of the fight.

"Donnie!" April screamed, trying to come to his aid but was stopped by Tiger Claw's left fist.

The strong mutant's paw sent the young girl flying across the rooftops, in the opposite direction to her best friend. Her scream pierced through the night sky as she flew, and the bone shaking grunt of pain as she hit the roof made some recoil.

"I needed that," Tiger Claw said sadistically, a smile gracing his feline face as he watched the young girl slide down the access shed of the building's roof. There was nothing like beating an enemy to release pent up rage and frustration. And, though he didn't like to engage someone so small and frail looking, he knew this girl could hold her own in a fight.

Unfortunately for the mutant tiger, he took his eyes off the other combatant on the roof. And, since Casey Jones was not to be underestimated, especially for a sneak attack against someone who has hurt his friend, no one should take their eyes off him. If Takeshi had been feeling better, or if he hadn't indulged in a bottle and a half of single malt whiskey, he would have most likely heard, or smelt, the youth. But, in his alcohol and hungover haze, he did not.

The youth darted forward quickly, stick in hand, on his retractable skates. He pulled the stick back and let it swing, hard, hitting its target. The area between Tiger Claw's legs. And it connected to that delicate area with a sickening crunch.

It brought the hardened assassin down onto his knees, mewling weakly. Eyes watering in pain as he tried to catch his breath and fought back the desire to vomit. While all the other henchmen on the roof held their own genitalia in sympathy and sympathetic pain. For some reason, Tiger Claw's genitals always seemed to be an easy target.

Casey used the distraction to get across the roof towards April. He figured a well-trained ninja like Donnie could take care of himself for a little while, while he attended to someone who didn't have a protective shell.

"April! Red! You okay?" Casey asked, helping the girl to her feet.

"I'm fine, just had the wind knocked out of me. But we've got to get Donnie before they do!" April replied looking towards their fallen friend. They could see both Rahzar and Bebop advancing on the fallen turtle, while Tiger Claw was still kneeling on the ground clutching his genitals and looking murderous.

"Donnie!" April screamed, hoping the fallen turtle would hear her, before the murderous talons of Rahzar deshelled him.

"Booyakasha!" the infamous battle cry sounded as three other turtles joined the fray.

"Back up has arrived!" Raph screamed as leapt towards Rahzar, sending the older mutant careening away from his brother.

"Donnie, brother, you okay?" Leonardo asked, helping his younger brother up.

"Well, the world is spinning, and I'm pretty sure that I see two of you, but I'll live," Donnie said, wincing as he stood. His legs unsteady beneath him.

"That can change, boy!" came the voice of Fishface, who had just leapt onto the roof of the building. He had been watching the battle from the van, having retrieved some of the explosives from the building below.

Leonardo instantly flew towards Fishface, causing Donnie to wobble on his feet and grab the wall for support. Donnie wished he could help his brother fight the fish man, but the world was spinning too much and it was taking too much effort not to evacuate his stomach contents.

"Don't try to move much," April said, slinging his arm over her shoulders, to try and support him. She began to lead him from the roof, as there was not much the ninja scientist could do, after such an injury. And, luckily, they now outnumbered their enemy.

A fearsome roar was suddenly let out as the mutant tiger regained his composure enough to re-enter the fight. He was still wobbling when he tried to walk, and his face looked both pained and homicidal, but that didn't matter if he used his jetpack. He came flying towards the building that Donatello and April were currently standing on, which Casey was on his way to. His objective was clear, to destroy the human vigilante who was coming to the aid of his fallen friend.

"Casey!" April yelled, trying to warn the vigilante of the assault from someone who could rip his body apart.

Her quick thinking saved him. She managed to focus enough of her powers on some of the debris that had fallen from the building. Hitting Tiger Claw mid-flight and sending him towards the wall that he had thrown Donnie against.

He impacted hard, his head rebounding and bouncing back. The force of his crash was enough to shake lose half the bricks on the wall, which landed on top of the tiger mutant.

"Thanks, Red!" Casey called as he ran to help Raph fight Rocksteady, seeing that the kunoichi could take care of both herself and Donnie.

"I don't think so, girl, you two are staying right here!" came the voice of Xever, who had jumped in front of them, carrying something in his hand.

The fish mutant then threw the something at the feet of Donatello and April, grinning madly and holding up another device. It took Donatello a mere moment to realise what was at their feet was an explosive device.

"No, you fool!" Tiger Claw yelled. He had somewhat regained consciousness and dug himself out of the rubble in time to see one of his explosives a mere foot away from him, and the detonator in the hands of Xever.

But Xever didn't heed the warning from his field commander. His skinny, scaly finger pressed the detonator. And, for a breath, nothing happened.

In a burst of speed, Donatello managed to push both himself and April out of the way of the small explosion. But, he didn't count on other devices underneath him, which shook the roof, causing the building to collapse in on itself.

Xever managed to jump free of crumbling roof in enough time. Landing hard on the next building and shorting out one of his robot legs.

April was pushed with enough force to send her flying into the escape ladder of another building. She landed hard on one of the guard rails. And her quick reflexes kept her from plummeting to the ground.

Both Donatello and Tiger Claw, who were both injured from the impact on the roof, were not so lucky. The building gave way, floor after floor crumbling under their feet, and they went with it.

"Donnie! No!" April screamed as she watched the building collapse into a pile of rubble.

"Xever! What did you do?" Rahzar yelled, landing next to the fish mutant.

"I, I didn't realise Tiger Claw had planted so many. I thought it was only a few!" Xever reasoned, wide-eyed. Yes, he feared and disliked the tiger mutant, but he would not have tried to kill him. Especially as he was second in command of the Foot and the Shredder would mostly kill him in retribution.

Both mutants looked down to see the girl and two of the turtles trying to dig through the debris. They also saw that the van had been covered by the rubble from the building. Meaning, that they would not be getting to the mutagen supply.

"I'm dead, if he manages to claw his way out he'll kill me, and once we tell Shredder that the van was destroyed, he'll kill me," Xever said seriously.

"You should of thought of that before you pressed that damn button!" Rahzar called, jumping from his perch next to Xever.

"Donnie! Donnie! Can you hear us!" Leo called frantically, as he and April desperately moved the rubble.

"No, but I can!" came the deep and sinister voice of Rahzar, before the mutant wold launched himself at Leonardo again.

* * *

"I don't understand it," came a sweet feminine voice, from just behind the backstage area. There was a hint of irritation, but also mirth, that Takeshi had learned all too quickly meant that she was up to something.

"Don't understand what?" Takeshi replied, feigning innocence and not even looking behind him as he heaved yet another box onto the pile in front of him. He could smell her though. The faint whiff of the elephants, the soap and cleaning supplies they had to use, and a mixture of wildflowers and a scent that was uniquely her.

"We're both being punished for that prank…" she continued.

"The prank you thought of and instigated," Takeshi added, knowing that she would gloss over that particular detail.

"The prank I thought of and instigated, but you did most of the leg work for. And besides, Grandpa doesn't know that it was my prank. Anyway, we're both being punished for the prank, as equals, right?" the feminine voice continued, coming closer. He heard the slight sound of her body coming into contact with a hard surface. She must be leaning against something.

"Right," Takeshi answered, a smile gracing his feline face. He knew where this was going, but he wasn't going to give her any of the satisfaction of getting him in a corner, yet.

"So, how come you just have to organise the props, while I've been stuck mucking out the elephants! How, in the name of all that is holy, is that fair?" she said angrily. He could almost see her stomping her foot in indignation. The thought made him laugh a little.

Takeshi turned around, looking her in the eye. Or, at least trying to. It was really hard considering what she was wearing. He felt like he should get some sort of recognition for not simply falling on his face, or falling on his knees, just at the sight of her.

She was stunning. The years had aged her into one of the most, if not the most, exceptional beauty that he had ever seen. He had always assumed that he would have found Japanese women attractive, instead of someone who couldn't claim home for any country.

Her lithe, feminine form was barely being covered by the black tank top and pink shorts that she was wearing, showing off her very slight tan and small spattering of freckles. Those tiny shorts showed off her toned legs, that were deliciously long. Her feet were covered by the thin slippers that she had downgraded to useless for work. Her wild, light chestnut hair was trying it's hardest to break free of the messy bun she had tried to tame it into, falling into her lovely oval face. She had full lips and well-defined cheek bones and nose, with the brightest eyes that he could stare into for the rest of his life.

And, she was wet. Completely drenched with sudsy water, giving her tank top a slightly translucent look.

To complete the picture, she was leaning against one of the support poles, her arms crossed under her firm, ample breasts, pushing them up. Takeshi could see the blue lace bra she was wearing underneath. He loved lace on her.

And, she was looking him up and down, with her bright, icy blue eyes. They were the colour of glacial ice, yet somehow burned with something warmer. He could tell that she was appreciating his body, just as much as he was appreciating hers. He could see her eyes move from his bared arms due to his shirt sleeves being rolled up, to his open shirt, down to his old, fitted performance pants.

Takeshi took a quick, subtle sniff of the air, making sure that no one was nearby. The way she was sounding and the way she was looking, he knew that they would most likely by needing privacy. Which was hard to come by, in the middle of the day. And, in one of the biggest travelling circuses in the world.

It was difficult, scenting out anyone who could be listening, considering how busy the area had been a few hours ago. But, he couldn't smell anyone fresh, apart from them. Everyone else had obviously found something else to do, rather than be in the backstage area.

He did smell something interesting though. Something that inflamed his senses. He could smell that she was aroused. And, though he wanted to act immediately on it, he didn't want to give in so easily. This, after all was a game, and he was about to let her be the victor.

"Well, for one, you were the ringleader in this prank. Even if no one admitted to it, your grandfather knows it was you," Takeshi said, taking a step closer to the girl.

"A minor detail," she said, rolling her eyes but still smiling up at him.

"An important, and accurate detail, Mia, and you know that it's important to be accurate," Takeshi quipped, coming to stand right in front of the young woman. She did not flinch as his large, bestial form got closer but continued to look him in the eye. That made his heart skip. The fact that she didn't fear him, not in the slightest, and had never been afraid to look him in the face.

"And for another, the elephants don't trust me being near them. Remember what happened last time?" Takeshi said, leaning on the same pole, his body even closer to hers. Leaning over her, and still she didn't flinch.

"I seem to recall a minor stampede, that we may have used as a diversion to raid Marty's alcohol stash of his imported whiskey," Mia said, smirking, causing Takeshi to blush. Not, that she could see it under his fur. Or, so he thought.

"You do know that I know your blushing, right? Your ears flatten a little when you do," Mia said, voice lowering as she leaned up slightly.

"You watch me that closely to notice a detail so small?" Takeshi said, his voice also lowering as he moved closer. He could now feel the heat radiating off her body.

"Well, I enjoy details, after all, accuracy is important. And you are rather, uh, nice to look at. But, do you want to know what else I've noticed, Takeshi?"

"What's that, Mia?"

"We're the only ones here," Mia replied, looking up at him with her Cheshire cat smile, like he was her prey and he had walked into a trap.

Takeshi felt her small hand grab at the shirt he was wearing, pulling him closer, as she leaned up, onto her toes. She could be so impulsive at times, that it was entirely possible that she was mistaken. He had to be the level-headed, cautious one. If they were caught, then he dreads to think what might happen. He couldn't help himself, he had to give the area a quick once over, listening carefully, before he could lean down and let this happen.

He felt her soft lips on his. Her fingers running through the fur on his chest, before going around his neck and pulling him further down. She was not delicate, and would most likely yank his head off if he didn't comply. Not that he would deny her. He encircled her waist softly, being careful of his claws. Takeshi couldn't let himself lose complete control, for her safety. As, she felt so soft and delicate in his arms.

But, the way her mouth moved against his, hard yet soft, forceful yet yielding, it wasn't long before he forgot about the world. Her mouth opened, allowing for their tongues to do battle as he growled. Pulling her body as close to his as possible, one arm up and across her back, cupping her head so that his fingers were in her wild mane of hair, while the other was grasping at her toned buttocks.

Her left leg lifted up, hooking over his hip as he pulled her further up. He could feel how breathless she had become and how tight his pants were now feeling.

The world be damned was the last coherent thought in Takeshi's head as he felt Mia's hands moving. One was going under his skirt, gripping the fur on his back, while the other was travelling down his chest and abdomen, and still going lower. He no longer cared what could happen and would accept any and all consequences if they were caught. As long as he could keep her in his arms, nothing else mattered.

* * *

The memory faded quickly as Takeshi began to regain consciousness.

He was almost sure that he was eighteen again, at the circus. Hiding in the backstage area, stealing a kiss from Mia.

He could almost smell the faint whiff of cleaning supplies and the aroma of the elephants, mingling with her intoxicating scent. Which, would make him forget all reason and logic, and just live in the primal instincts that he often tried to ignore back then.

Takeshi tried to move, as he was lying on something uncomfortable, like rock. But stopped immediately. The slightest movement sent a wave of pain through his battered body. It also felt like something was holding him down. It was too much effort and he collapsed back down.

" _Ugh, this can't be death, or else it would not hurt this much,"_ Takeshi said in his first language, grimacing at the pain everywhere on his body and bringing a paw to his aching head. Though he refused to open his eyes, hoping that he could still keep the sight of her fresh in his mind's eye.

"Not death, very much still alive, though not for long if we don't move," came the annoying voice of one of the Turtles.

Takeshi groaned loudly as he opened his eyes, finally taking in his surroundings.

When the small room they were in stopped spinning he saw that it was the tallest of the Turtles, Donatello. The one who was a naturally gifted genius. He knew that the adolescent had designed and created all the Turtles vehicles and equipment. He was skilled with the bo staff, and hand to hand combat, though he was not the strongest of the four, or the most naturally gifted fighter. He was prone to bouts of insecurity and anger, which would cloud his judgement.

He had compiled psychological profiles of each of the Turtles when he arrived, as he was sure this Turtle had done for him. The professional assassin and bounty hunter was shocked to find that it hadn't already been done before he had arrived. And he gave many of the henchmen a thorough chewing out because of their ineptitude. After all, it was one of the most basic rules of combat. Know your enemy.

Takeshi looked the boy up and down, noticing that he was sitting just out of reach of his large paw. An obvious move, that the boy probably calculated so that he couldn't be hit. He was also covered in various scrapes and bruises. Some were bleeding slightly, but he didn't seem too injured.

The mutant assassin once again tried to sit up, only to feel like he was being held down again. Takeshi looked down his body, taking note of his own injuries. There were a few small cuts, that were also bleeding, and one large gash on his left arm that would need to be tended to soon in order to prevent infection. But, there didn't seem to be anything that would cause a feeling of being held down.

He once again tried to move, having difficulty due to having only one arm. That was when he noticed that his leg was caught underneath some rocks. Luckily, they didn't seem to be pressing on his leg, so he was not in danger of losing the leg. But, there was enough pressure and weight to stop him moving.

Takeshi then looked around the room, finally taking stock of his surroundings. Usually, this would have been the first thing he would have done once he had opened his eyes. He blamed the bump on the head, and the alcohol, for his addled brain. He should know better.

It seemed the room wasn't a room at all, but a big, gaping hole. There was debris and rubble spread everywhere, with the only light source coming from the Turtle's phone. Takeshi reached into his side pocket, pulling out a large glow stick, cracking it to shed some more light on the situation.

Once the room was more illuminated, which the Turtle also appreciated, they both looked around some more. There didn't appear to be any way out, and the room stank of disinfectant. Like a lab. The smell triggering some of Takeshi's worst memories. He had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths before he could think again.

Takeshi looked back down at his leg, ignoring the looks from his fellow mutant. He tried to push off the rock, but he merely increased the pressure on his foot. And, fearing the loss of another limb, Takeshi immediately stopped and flopped back down onto his back. He let out a frustrated growl and a string of curses in his native language, causing the Turtle to blush.

"He obliviously speaks more Japanese that I thought," Takeshi thought, making a mental note to add it to his file on the mutant once he got back to the lair. If he got back.

He shook his head, trying to banish the thought. He was, of course, going to survive this minor inconvenience. He had battled his way through the ten dimensions to find his way back to New York, so he could exact his revenge upon the Turtles and their human allies. And, he was definitely getting out of this cave in to beat that moron, Xever, to a pulp for putting him there in the first place.

"Uh, yeah, that's a problem," came the Turtle's nervous voice, breaking Takeshi out of his fantasy of slicing Xever to pieces.

Takeshi opened his eyes again, looking the boy up and down. He seemed to have gotten a little close, though still out of reach. He could also see part of his bo staff clutched in his hand. It had obviously broken during the destruction of the building. He seemed to look edgy, and was looking everywhere but Takeshi's face.

"I could help. I mean, it is simple physics. You know, 'give me a lever and a fulcrum and I could move the Earth,' kinda thing," Donatello said, letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

"It's, 'give me a lever **long enough** and a fulcrum **on which to place it** , and I shall move **the world** ,'" Takeshi corrected with a growl of frustration. How hard was it to get that quote right?

"Um, yeah, you're, uh, you're right. The point is though, I could move that rock on your leg, but, um…"

"But, how do you know that I won't just kill you as soon as you're within striking distance? Right, boy?" Takeshi finished coldly. He had no patience for beating about the bush, he wanted this rock off his leg and out of this prison.

"Something like that," Donatello responded, quickly glancing at the claws on Takeshi's left hand.

"What choice do I have but to comply? And, I'm guessing it wasn't a sense of honour that kept you here? After all, I did launch your female into a brick wall. My guess is, you are also injured, and couldn't find a way out yourself. At least, from the scrapes on your fingers. You need my help, just as much as I need yours," Takeshi stated bluntly.

The look on the Turtle's face confirmed what he suspected. He looked downright shocked that Takeshi had figured all this out so quickly. The Turtle glanced around, obviously looking back at all the places he had tried to dig. The boy was far too easy to read, it was almost laughable.

The Turtle deflated somewhat after a few moments. Giving in to the inevitable and coming closer. He, wearily, held out his right hand, corrected himself, then held out his left hand to Takeshi.

"Truce?" Donatello asked, still nervous to be so close to the assassin without his weapon drawn.

"Yes, Donatello, truce," Takeshi said, taking his proffered hand, and giving it a firm squeeze.

The young Turtle winced at the sudden pressure causing Takeshi to smile again. It was petty, but he couldn't resist. Once he had let go, he watched as Donatello shook out his hand, grumbling about alpha males and their need to exert themselves over others.

Donatello then let out a large sigh, took a deep breath, and got to work.

He put one end of the broke bo staff under the rock, wedging a smaller rock under the staff. He then stood up, wobbled a bit, and put all his weight on the other end of the staff.

Takeshi let out a yelp of pain, when the pressure suddenly increased. The boy had almost broken his leg with that heave and the rock was still there.

"Sorry, needed to move it a bit more to get a better purchase. The staff is a little too short. This should do it though. When I say go, you need to move back pretty quickly, or, it'll, um, break your foot," Donatello said, with an anxious chuckle.

That did not fill Takeshi with confidence. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, glaring at him and silently telling him that if he broke his foot, he would break his neck. The boy audibly gulped, before resuming his position at the end of the staff.

"Okay, three, two, one, go!" Donatello yelled, pushing all his weight on the staff as Takeshi hauled himself back with all his might.

The rock went tumbling and broke the rock beneath it in two. Which, could have easily have been Takeshi's ankle. Then he would have lost his tail, right arm, left leg, left eye and part of his right ear.

The two mutants looked at each other for a moment, as if both were thinking the same thing. They were breathing heavily, relieved that one obstacle had been removed.

"I'll, uh, I'll dress those wounds for you, if you want?" Donatello asked, uncertainly, suddenly aware of how close he was to the deadliest mutant on the planet.

"Thank you, Donatello," Takeshi said after a moments consideration. He didn't want to be too much in this boy's debt.

"Uh, no problem, Takeshi, uh, I mean Tiger Claw," Donatello corrected quickly. He looked down, trying not to look Takeshi in the eye as he worked, as if afraid of what he would see.

As the turtle dressed his wounds, Takeshi looked at him carefully. Trying to figure out how he even knew his real name. Very few did, and even fewer had the nerve to call him that.

"Alopex told me," Donatello said quickly, answering the question that was not uttered but passed between them none the less. He then went back to focusing on the tasks of wrapping the mutant's tiger ankle, trying not to look him in the eye.

"Of course," Takeshi said, under his breath. He rolled his eyes and tried not to think about what else his vengeful sister could have told his enemies.

* * *

"We don't have time for this!" Leo called over to Raphael, as he blocked another hit from Rahzar.

His younger brother was battling Fishface and neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Both were also visibly exhausted and obviously desperate. They all were.

They had been fighting for too long. They needed to get to Donnie, before the worst happened. They needed to start digging, or at least find a way to communicate with him. If they got to the Shellraiser then they could run a trace on Donnie's T-phone, just like he showed them all how to do. That way, they could find him and get him out from under that building.

Leonardo didn't let himself think of the alternative of his brother surviving that explosion. He had to be alive.

"We have to get to Donnie!" Mikey yelled as he led Rocksteady towards the wold mutant.

At the last second the nimble turtle launched himself upwards, getting out of the path of the charging rhino man. Unfortunately for both Rahzar and Rocksteady, the larger mutant had built up too much momentum and couldn't stop to chase Michelangelo. He continued on his path, flattening himself into a wall, and taking a shocked Rahzar along for the ride.

"Well, that helped," Leo said plainly, impressed by his youngest brother's quick thinking and quick moves.

Everyone, fall back to the Shellraiser! Mikey, cover us!" Leo yelled, getting everyone's attention before Mikey gave another battle cry and engulfed everyone in purple smoke.

When the smoke had cleared, all that was left was several bruised henchmen, a buried van full of mutagen and a destroyed building.

* * *

Please rate and review, it makes me a happy writer.

I also thought I'd share a funny story with you.

I'm a teacher and I walked into class the other day, to collect homework. I got to a kid who is usually quite good about completing his homework and asked, 'do you have your homework?'

His reply was, 'no teacher, (other kid's name) ate my homework!', at which point all the members on the class starting yelling in my direction what had happened. I turned to the other kid to ask about the homework.

He said that he did eat the homework and it wasn't yummy. The kid is ten years old!

TFG


End file.
